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Fulbright scholars make first stop at CU-Boulder

International students attend orientation before heading to schools across U.S.

By Brittany Anas Camera Staff Writer

Posted:
08/02/2011 09:31:50 PM MDT

Updated:
08/02/2011 09:32:57 PM MDT

Aso Rasool, left, of Kurdistan, and Blake Balcomb, of South Africa, laugh at a presentation Tuesday as they and other Fulbright scholars gather at the University of Colorado for an orientation before heading to schools across the United States.
(
PAUL AIKEN
)

Scholars from around the world are convening on the University of Colorado's Boulder campus this week before they scatter to universities across the country on prestigious Fulbright scholarships.

CU is hosting a "gateway orientation," the first stop in the United States for Fulbright scholars studying in the country this fall.

The conference is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which awarded CU a nearly $39,000 grant to carry out the weeklong program, said Kim Kreutzer, associate director of the Office of International Education.

While attending the conference at CU, the students will get an introduction to the U.S. academic system and culture, including learning about wellness, stress management, U.S. politics and other issues. They've also planned tours of the National Center for Atmospheric Research and a trip to the farmers market.

About 55 scholars representing every continent are studying a range of subjects, including public health, tourism, journalism, biology and engineering.

Randy Ali, who has a degree in electrical engineering and is from Trinidad and Tobago, said he came to the U.S. to study acoustics. He'll be pursuing his master's degree at Pennsylvania State this fall.

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Miguel Bessa, of Portugal, will be attending Northwestern University to study mechanical engineering. He said he feels fortunate to have been selected for the program because of the prestigious engineering programs offered in the United States.

"I find it really amazing here," Bessa said. "The people are genuinely nice."

It's the third time the U.S. government has assigned CU to host the orientation. CU-Boulder also has a record number of Fulbright scholars this year.

CU communication professor Stan Deetz held a discussion with his international audience about leadership in a cross-cultural context. Deetz, director of the Center for the Study of Conflict, served as a senior Fulbright scholar in Sweden.

He said conflicts of the future will be more difficult and common as there is competition for the world's resources.

"In the past, we've had boundaries that carefully kept us apart," he said. "That's changing."

He discussed the importance of respecting one another's cultural differences.

"Are we raising a generation of leaders who know how to deal with conflict instead of fighting?"

Fulbright scholars are selected on the basis of academic and professional achievement, as well as demonstrated leadership potential in their fields.

The program operates in more than 155 countries and has sent more than 300,000 students abroad in its 65-year history.

A record number of CU students have received Fulbright grants this year to pursue teaching, research and graduate studies abroad. Ten students will study subjects ranging from the work of composer Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel in Germany to the endangered Kula language in Indonesia, plant-soil-microbe interactions in subarctic crops in Norway, and ancient social interactions through archaeological excavations at the La Consentida site in Mexico.

Since 1978, there have been 119 Fulbright grants awarded to CU students -- but never 10 in a single year, according to the campus Office of International Education.

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